An issued Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) requires that headlamps that comprise a low beam unit and a high beam unit have one mechanism for adjusting the aims of both the low beam reflector and a high beam reflector. FIG. 1 shows a front view of a typical front lamp assembly 10 that was utilized in automobiles prior to the implementation of this safety standard. As shown in FIG. 1, the typical front lamp assembly 10 comprises a low beam unit 12 with a light source 22 and a high beam unit 14 with a light source 22 positioned in a single lamp housing 16.
FIG. 2 shows a cross sectional view of front lamp assembly 10 along line A—A of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, low beam unit 12 comprises a low beam reflector 20 and high beam unit 14 comprises a high beam reflector 24. High beam reflector 24 and low beam reflector 20 each have three ball sockets 26 (only two pictured) attached to the back of each reflector. Lamp housing 16 has two ball studs 28 in each low beam and high beam unit for a total of four ball studs (only two pictured). Further, low beam unit 12 and high beam unit 14 both have one adjustment screw 27 with a ball head 18 positioned within the unit. Lamp housing 16 and high beam/low beam reflectors 24 and 20 are attached to one another by snapping the ball studs 28 of the lamp housing into two of the ball sockets 26 on each of the reflectors and by snapping ball heads 18 of adjustment screws 27 into the third ball socket 26 on each of the reflectors. The threaded portion of each of these adjustments screws 18 passes through the lamp housing 16 so that the other end of the adjustment screw can be accessed on the other side of the lamp housing.
When either of the adjustment screws 18 is rotated, it will either extend the ball head 18 further away from the lamp housing or withdraw the ball head towards the lamp housing. As the ball head 18 is extended, the ball sockets 26 of the respective reflector will pivot about the ball studs 28 and the ball head 18 so that the reflector will tilt downward. As the ball head 18 is withdrawn, the ball sockets 26 will pivot about the ball studs 28 and the ball head 18 so that the respective reflector will tilt upwards. In order to adjust the aim of the low beam unit 12 and high beam unit 14, both adjustment screws 27 must be turned separately. Thus, the low beam reflector 20 and high beam reflector 24 are vertically aimed separately by turning either of the adjustment screws 27. These separate means for adjusting the aim of the low beam reflector and high beam reflector is now obsolete in view of the FMVSS.